Pastor Avtar Singh running illegal cracker unit in Amritsar

Tribune News Service

PK Jaiswar

Amritsar, January 31

Avtar Singh is a famous name in the circle of the firecracker trade in the city. He is famously known as Bittu Patakhiyawala in Amritsar.

He is a government teacher and currently posted at a border village. His wife Nurun has retired as a nurse from Guru Nanak Dev Hospital here. His one son is currently studying in Canada while other two children are in Amritsar.

Avtar Singh was reportedly converted around four years ago when he came in contact with Bajinder Singh of The Church of Glory and Wisdom, Tajpur in Jalandhar. His house became a centre of attraction for the people on Tuesday when IT sleuths, accompanied by BSF jawans, raided it.

It has been learnt that he had recently procured a large chunk of land near Verka bypass. The IT sleuths were still verifying the details of his ownership of the land.

In 2018, six persons were injured in an illegal firecracker unit allegedly being run by him near his house. He had two cases against him for illegal selling and storing firecrackers.